I don't like to write about myself. That may seem ridiculous considering I just published a lengthy piece about my childhood growing up on the West Side.
Writing in the first person is difficult. You open yourself up the world and, even worse, the internet. If you've been online in the past 20 years, you may have noticed people can be a bit critical of others.
In this case, my editor Carl Weiser encouraged me to make an exception.
It was the best way to tell the story about how my hometown has changed over the years. When I took the City Hall beat a little over a year ago, I wanted to tell the stories of Cincinnati's communities. Sometimes, there's no better way to do that than to recount your experience.
One thing I heard growing up is that the
West Side never changes. In doing this story, I found that's not exactly true. While I relate my experience as a native West Sider in the story, it's not about me. It's about a community I love and the people in it. I talked to a variety of residents and business owners, new and old, including many in the region's growing Latino community.
In the end, I hope I captured a picture of where a grew up as a community that's changing but still my home.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why I wrote about the West Side, where I grew up
